LDS General Conference: Elder D. Todd Christofferson, Quorum of the Twelve

A summary of the talk given by Elder D. Todd Christofferson, Quorum of the Twelve, during the Saturday morning session.

The world has need of "strong Christians who can persevere against hardship, who can sustain hope through tragedy, who can lift others by their example and their compassion and who can consistently overcome temptations." The moral and spiritual power to achieve this is accessed through covenants with God.

"In these divine agreements, God binds himself to sustain, sanctify and exalt us in return for our commitment to serve him and keep his commandments."

Baptism is the foundation covenant, and others are performed in temples "built for that very purpose. If we are faithful to the covenants made there, we become inheritors not only of the Celestial Kingdom, but of exaltation, the highest glory within the heavenly kingdom, and we obtain all the divine possibilities God can give."

Obedience to God's commandments gives Latter-day Saints the ability to act, rather than being acted upon in life. While no one can avoid every challenge and disappointment in life, obedience provides the strength to persevere.